Beauty & the Fae
by wallflowerwriter
Summary: Sarah beats the Labyrinth only to face the Goblin King...and lose. However, our favorite heroine still refuses to give up. S/J
1. Sarah's Proposition

**A/N: So, here's a new Labyrinth story for you. This one should be longer for each chapter and as a whole. Hope you enjoy! Please review. ^^  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I'm pretty sure I've gone over this before...but just in case, no, I don't own the Labyrinth, Jareth, or Sarah. -wail-**

* * *

><p>Sarah's Proposition<p>

She couldn't remember. She could never remember. And now, here she was facing the Goblin King in one final challenge. And she couldn't remember the stupid words. She glared, stuttering to a stop. He smirked, acknowledging his victory. The clock chimed thirteen times in agreement. Even with the castle blurring around her, Sarah knew this couldn't be the end. She reached out her hand, grasping thin air until she grappled hold of the starch cloth of his 15th century style jacket. Using her hold on him, she managed to pull herself out of the whirlwind meant to transport her home and stumbled forward. She shuddered from the exhaustion of fighting his magic and collapsed to her knees, literally at his feet. Her eyes closed as she struggled for breath.

"Sarah? Sarah precious, are you okay?" His voice caressed her, surprisingly close. His hand gently touched her shoulder, even more surprising.

She jerked away violently, the concern on his face frightening, "What do you care?"

Jareth leaned back, a sneer replacing his concern, "I do believe the time has come for you to leave, Sarah."

Wind swirling around her once more, Sarah screamed, "Jareth, please! Stop!"

But instead of taking her home, the uproarious wind lifted her off the floor to meet the King's frigid, mismatched eyes. "And how, exactly, would that benefit me?"

Sarah kept his gaze, "Because I have a proposition for you, one I believe you'll find quite—" Her lips curved into a small, tired smile. "—fair."

The corners of his mouth simultaneously lifted with his almost white eyebrows. "And just what exactly would I be getting out of this deal?" The wind brought her gently to the floor. Nonchalantly swiping her jeans, Sarah muttered something under her breath.

"What, precious? I couldn't hear you." The Goblin King smirked.

Her dark head suddenly lifted, stunning Jareth with the intensity of unbridled fear no longer hidden in the depths of her mossy eyes. "Me, Jareth, you'll get me."

"In exchange for what? Or should I say for whom?" Still, he couldn't help but mock her.

Sarah swallowed. "In exchange for me, you'll send Toby home to Dad and Karen."

He laughed. She offers to give up her freedom, and he laughs. Sarah gritted her teeth and clenched her fists to her side in a valiant effort to control her temper. Still chuckling, Jareth shook her head, "What fairytale are you living in now, Sarah—Beauty and the Beast?"

His mocking struck a chord. Her eyes flashed, "Well, you certainly act like a beast."

Jareth rolled his eyes and leaned closer, lifting a gloved hand to stroke her cheek, "Of course you would automatically assume that you're Beauty, wouldn't you, precious."

It wasn't a question. Sarah lifted her chin defiantly. "You do wear enough glitter to be Beauty, I suppose."

"And you're certainly immature enough to be the Beast, m'dear," Jareth countered, his gaze uncomfortably scrutinizing.

Sarah blinked. Her head tilted as she studied Jareth's face. Hadn't she grown up in the Labyrinth or did she just wish that she had? Sarah finally met his gaze, her eyes shimmering. Jareth narrowed his eyes. She did seem different; at the very least she was desperate—a very profitable type of desperation too. He'd never really wanted the little chap anyway.

"Please, Jareth, take me. I'll do whatever you say. You can do what you want with me—change me into a goblin, whatever," Sarah pleaded. "Whatever you want, Jareth, I'll do."

"Don't call me Jareth," The king replied instantly, his eyebrow finally raised, his smirk gone. So, he was taking her seriously now. Good. He was already ordering her around. Bad. Her chin lifted.

"Very well," Sarah finally responded, a bit too slow in Jareth's humble opinion. "What would you like me to call you then, Your Highness?"

Oh bother—she hadn't meant for the sarcasm to slip out. Jareth caught it too, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"That will do; but next time, Sarah," Jareth raised an imperious eyebrow. "without the tone."

Sarah smiled innocently, "What tone, Your Majesty?"

"That's better, peasant," Jareth snapped his fingers. Their surroundings transformed into a rather miniscule bedroom. Stone overwhelmed the ceiling, floor, and walls; but the trim rugs and lovely wall-hangings disguised the grey remarkably well. The solitary window allowed a refreshing breeze to air out the room. Nothing filled the gaping space of the window, and no furniture stood before it. Probably to protect any pieces from water damage. _Though_, Sarah wondered, slightly alarmed, _did it even rain in the Underground?_ Shaking her head, Sarah resumed her tour of the room she presumed to be her new quarters. To her right, a canopy bed rested in all her glory, almost translucent curtains of all colors guarding the actual mattress. A tiny wooden desk, on top of which rested a small candle, stood guard just beside the royal bed. A large bureau holding a mirror clung to the opposite wall. Shelves, sparingly filled with four or five books, overwhelmed the remaining wall space. The wood, Sarah absently noted, all matched—the same rich deep cherry. Sarah turned toward the door and promptly stumbled backwards.

"Your Majesty," Sarah greeted, bowing slightly, vainly attempting to cover her surprise. How hadn't she noticed his presence? Why hadn't he said something? Didn't he have better things to do?

An amused expression graced his face, "You will report to the kitchen in one hour. Not one second more, Pr—easant."

Surprising revelation flitted across Sarah's face, but Jareth had already vanished.

{-,-}

|)_)

-"-"-


	2. Stupid Wishes

**A/N: I'm baaaack~! And I even brought chapter two with me! Hope y'all enjoy. And thank you oh so much for the fantastic reviews. Makes me so happy. :3**

**Disclaimer: I'm realizing...I don't even own a copy of this movie! Wail. T.T**

* * *

><p>Stupid Wishes<p>

Sticking her head through yet another door, Sarah quickly stepped out, still closed the door gently, and continued her hunt down the hall. Just a few minutes after Jareth disappeared, Sarah whooshed out the door in search of that pesky kitchen. Now here she was, exactly fifty nine minutes later, trotting down hall after hall after blasted hall. She glanced at the leering owl-shaped cuckoo clock hanging conveniently on the wall. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Sarah gulped, forcing her eyes to remain open and alert. The clock hooted the hour. Then silence. Sarah released a breath as she shifted from leaning against the wall to her search. Jareth suddenly appeared before her, his arms crossed, his eyebrows sternly raised.

"What are you doing, slave?"

"Going to the kitchen, Sire."

"Then why are you in the West Wing?" Oh, that incredulous tone!

"Dear me!" She acted surprised, her eyes growing in mock innocence. "You meant for me to work in the kitchen in the East Wing! How silly of me."

Jareth rolled his eyes. "If you didn't know where the kitchen was, why didn't you just ask me for help?"

"You…departed before I could," Sarah calmly stated. Jareth glared into her alarmingly disconcerting green eyes. Calm Sarah was…scary. Taking action, Jareth stepped forward abruptly and gleefully noted the very instant Sarah's eyes flashed in alarm. Her back firmly pressed against the dank stone wall, Sarah recognized her plans of escape as the completely futile ideas they were. If Jareth knew exactly where she was the second she was late to simple kitchen duty, she had absolutely no hope of escaping without his notice. Gulping slightly, she lifted her gaze to his mismatched one. His eyes glinted malevolently. His sharp teeth glistened mischievously. His hands suddenly surrounded her head, each hand pressed against the wall just above her shoulders.

Sarah crossed her arms, gritting her teeth, "What do you want, Jareth?"

"Jareth?" His confounded eyebrows rose significantly. "Are you directly disobeying me, peasant?"

Sarah's eyes flashed like glittering emeralds. "Ha! At least I didn't almost call you 'precious' earlier."

"Why in the world would I call such a pesky prisoner that?" Jareth brought his left hand closer to Sarah's paling face.

She merely lifted an eyebrow as she inwardly prayed, hoped, _wished_ that the stupid king wouldn't notice her trembling. He smirked suddenly, giving her a knowing look.

"I was going to call you prune." His face remained the same, not one twinkle in his eye.

"Prune?"

"Yes, prune."

"Right," Sarah flashed him a dubious glance. "So that's why instead you called me your present?"

Jareth swiftly straightened away from her, a furrow on his brow. Had he? Surely not. He recalled giving her orders to meet in the kitchen in an hour. Then he—Jareth winced. He supposed that was technically what he'd called her. Sarah pushed off the wall in victory, lifting her chin as she did. "Is that any way to behave toward your employee, Sire? How disgraceful."

Jareth smirked again. Bother. He leaned close again and touched her face with a black glove. In a purring voice that could only belong to a lion, he whispered, "But I'm not your employer, now am I? I'm your master."

A hand curled around her waist and suddenly, they stood in a warm kitchen with millions of goblins scurrying around carrying this ingredient and that dish and those bowls every which way. Sarah pressed a hand to her mouth, feeling suddenly queasy.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then, slave," Jareth surveyed the chaos in dismay. "Good luck."

With that, he vanished in a cloud of smoke.

"Coward," Sarah managed to say through clenched teeth.

Suddenly, Jareth stood before her again, a demonic gleam in his eyes. Sarah stiffened in response, her eyes wide. Velvet smooth, he purred, "Oh and sorry, Sarah, I just couldn't fulfill your wish earlier: your trembling is quite difficult to ignore."

A touch to her cheek, then gone.

Sarah released her breath. She hated goblins, their king, and her own stupid wishes.

,_,  
>(^v^)<p>

(_^(_\  
>" " \\<p> 


	3. Squeakstut's Punishment

**A/N: So be warned. This is...an incredibly short chapter as it's more of a segue into the next. But! You get to meet my goblin Squeakstut! I know you're excited. And again, thank you guys for all the reviews and story alerts and favorites. Please keep reviewing!^_^**

**Disclaimer: Well, Jareth is Sarah's, and Sarah is Jareth's. But Squeakstut is mine! ^^**

* * *

><p>Squeakstut's Punishment<p>

Jareth couldn't possibly deny it. He was really looking forward to lunch. Admittedly after catching himself smiling again, he really couldn't _not_ deny it. A goblin (given the name Squeakstut) entered the throne room timidly.

"Your Majesty, dinner awaits you," the goblin squeaked.

A raised eyebrow was the poor thing's only response.

He stuttered nervously, "S-s-sarah would l-like you to eat-t in the d-dining r-room...?"

His voice rose an octave swiftly before the creature shut his eyes in fear of Jareth's rage. The King hadn't ever eaten in the dining room before. Of course, no one had cleaned the dining room before either. As only silence greeted the poor tyke, Squeakstut slowly slid one eye open to find Jareth, his eyes holding trace amounts of amusement and his gloved hand covering his laughing mouth.

"So," He pondered aloud, his voice strangely bemused. "You are more fearful of my new slave than you are of your own king, Squeaker?"

"Oh no, Sire," The goblin replied quickly, not bothering to correct Jareth on his name. "but the Lady was rather adamant."

"Hmm, so you wish to visit a certain smelly swamp?"

"N-no, S-sire! B-but...the d-dining room l-looks so l-lovely. I-I thought it s-sounded well..n-nice." His stutter returned, Squeakstut held a look so piteous, his monologue ending in a fearful squeak, that even Jareth decided to show compassion. Well, mostly. After all, the poor thing must have fulfilled Sarah's every whim all day. Who knew better than the Goblin King how exhausting that was?

"Very well. Get home to your family, Squeakstut."

"B-b-but S-sarah will need help with the d-dishes!"

"That's your punishment then," Jareth's teeth gleamed as he continued, seeing the goblin's rather confused expression. "Dealing with Sarah's wrath tomorrow."

Squeakstut's eyes widened slightly before the Fae disappeared to the kitchen to see to a certain slave.

{‒,‒}

|)_._)

-"-"-


	4. Simple Vocabulary

**Disclaimer**: I do own Jareth's Labyrinth nor any of his little minions. I just write for fun.

**A/N**: I. Am. A. Horrible. Person. I'm so sorry for the unintentional hiatus, and I promise I will be finishing this. I've already written two more chapters (after this one), plus the ending worked out (in my head) so I should be able to make at least weekly updates. Thank you so much for your patience and your wonderful reviews!

* * *

><p>Sarah squealed before grasping her neck and wheeling away from Jareth. "Don't you ever do that again!"<p>

Jareth smirked as he leaned casually against the now-shiny counter, his arms crossed. "And I see you've been quite busy as well."

Sarah bit her lip as he surveyed her work. Gone were the goblins, the endless mountains of dirty dishes, and the voluminous scum that had collected on every possible surface.

"So where are my goblins?"

She bit her lip harder. "I let them go."

"You did what?" His voice sounded too calm. Never a good sign. Sarah vaguely wondered if the bog had changed much.

"I let them go." Oh, good, she sounded calm too.

"Yes, I heard you the first time," Jareth tapped a black boot on the tile floor. "You let the majority of my poor, helpless goblins outside my castle. "That means they're probably wandering about in my labyrinth." He unfolded himself from his careless position against the kitchen counter as he continued, "I suppose I should have asked why. So. Why did you commit this completely idiotic act, you incompetent little wench?"

"They needed a break."

"They needed a what?!" Yup, he seemed much more upset now. She'd discover any changes in the bog soon enough.

"A break," She confirmed, her lips curving into a small smile. It was just a swamp. A really, really smelly swamp. "You know, a rest. Vacation." She smiled hugely now, mimicking his accent. "A holiday. That sort of thing."

"I know," Jareth bit out tersely as his eyes—one frigid blue, the other a slightly bemused brown—clashed in anger and amusement, "what the word means. I'm merely expressing my shock that you, a seemingly bright girl, would intentionally wreak such havoc on my undeserving kingdom."

But then again, she couldn't be bogged _now_. This was a matter of principle. "You exaggerate. Besides, they're not so chaotic when they're given a certain task to perform."

"And just what purpose did you give them?" His tone conveyed thinly disguised horror.

"I told them to have fun."

"Fun?" Jareth sounded absolutely terrified, his voice quivering less with anger and more with utter shock.

His reaction frightened her. What could he possibly know that she didn't? Not the English language, for starters. "Fun, Jareth, as in 'not working' or 'acting like a kid.' Huh, that's ironic, isn't it?"

Jareth's eyes narrowed dangerously as he neared her, "And just what does that mean, slave?"

"What do you think." It wasn't a question.

Jareth's body stiffened in rage as he clenched his pointed teeth. Ah, but she still had nary a clue as to what she was getting into. Not that she should. "Squeaker informed me that dinner awaits me in the dining room. From now on, I should be served in my throne room."

"His name's Squeakstut. You don't even know his name!"

Her outburst reverberated strongly in the bare kitchen. Sarah clenched her own jaw but continued to hold his gaze. Jareth simply waited for the echoes to fade. Then, oh so calmly, he asked, "So, dear thing, you've heard complaints?"

Sarcasm dripped from his tone, and Sarah's gaze finally faltered. "No."

Jareth smirked, stepping closer to lift her chin. Sarah's intelligent jade gaze eventually met his.

She lifted her chin from his grip. "But I know how you and your crystals work," The firmness of her voice galled him. "They don't know they should complain. They're lost in the dreams you gave them."

"You know nothing, you pathetic little brat. I only have the power to grant people's wishes or offer them their own desires. I can't even twist their wants around, nor do I want to. I can only give them—give you—what they truly want."

"I did not want you to take Toby." Thinly veiled rage seeped through her tone.

"Clearly, you did."

Sarah's teeth clamped involuntarily. Feeling suddenly trapped, she nimbly stepped around the Fae to pick up a tray before attempting to flee the kitchen. "Your food's in the dining room. Don't let it get cold."

Jareth blocked her, his gloved hands comfortably fisted on his waist. He'd let the Toby business go but not her plan to destroy his kingdom by releasing his dumb creatures outside his castle. "First, we should see just what those nonsensical goblins are up to, hmm?" He swiftly formed a crystal globe dancing 'round and 'round his fingers.

Sarah startled, her eyes widening, before quickly glaring at the floor. A smirk settled on the king's features. "Worried, Sarah? And about your own dreams too. Tch."


	5. Swift Currents

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Jareth's Labyrinth nor any of his little minions. I just write for fun.

* * *

><p>Knowing her temperament, Jareth decided his crystal should best be used for another time. His gloved fingers slid against each other, somehow still resulting with a prominent snap, as his magic immediately transported them directly in the midst of his labyrinth. Gritting her teeth, Sarah closed her eyes as she restrained from doubling over and retching. She really hated when he forced her to travel. A smudge of color flying by startled Sarah into instantly straightening as she gauged her surroundings. Jareth simply stood there, facing her, an aristocratic eyebrow raised. Their feet touched the ground, yet blurs constantly swam by like the water of a strong current. Goblins—torrents of them—scurried around the two and rushed into the multiple tunnels around them. The sun shone brightly overhead, but the goblins' overwhelming presence gave Sarah the claustrophobic feel of a cave. A deep murmuring sound resembled an echoing cavern river, adding to the cave atmosphere. Almost amused now, Sarah belatedly realized the goblins were yelling to each other. Jareth tapped his boot, but Sarah held up her hand to silence him. Bits and pieces finally managed to register as English.<p>

"Kingy mad!"

"The King is mad, you idiot."

"Hamburger know! I tell you!"

"Never mind! Queen here. Ugh, the Queen is here."

"Why say twice?"

"Just run, dummy."

Sarah's eyes widened as she turned to face her impatient master. The Queen? Who was the—

"I think their definition of fun is quite different from mine. I sincerely hope it's different from yours as well."

"Well, at least they're having fun."

Jareth scoffed. "Pardon me for considering the welfare of my labyrinth and her creatures above my goblins having this—" He waved his gloved hand. "—supposed fun."

"Perhaps you should reconsider your treatment of them then," She crossed her arms and lifted her delicate chin. Confidence emanated freely from her being even though she stood amidst a streaming river of goblins jostling her with every step they took.

His face hardened again. "Remember who you are, peasant. I don't need to explain myself to you."

"But you want to." Sarah brought her face back to meet his, her eyes daring him to lie. "That's why you're explaining even now."

A sneer spread deliberately across his face. "Keep dreaming."

Sarah maintained eye contact for a second before hurt replaced her sudden bravery. "I know enough anyway. I beat your labyrinth, remember?" She met his gaze again.

"Yes, but you couldn't overpower me, could you?" His teeth gleamed in a mocking grin.

"I convinced you to release Toby, didn't I?"

His scornful laughter rivaled with the murmuring of the goblins. "So you lost on purpose, then? So you could supposedly trick me into allowing your presence? You took a lot of risks, Sarah; but I'm still quite flattered that you want to stay with me."

Sarah managed a step back without tripping over the Goblin River. "Your food awaits, Sire." He'd been winning way too many arguments lately.

"That is all? No witty comeback for me? Tut, tut, I'm disappointed."

Sarah bit back her retort. No use now. He was right. She'd finally overcome his labyrinth only to lose to the King himself, and she would spend the rest of her life paying for it. He just stood there. Watching her closely. She swung her back around toward the castle. Quite a long walk lay before them.

"You do know I can just whisk us back to the castle, to the very dining room where my dinner awaits?" He managed to ask through his smirk as he fell into step beside her.

"Yup."

Unfamiliar confusion penetrated Jareth's mind. "Then why are we walking?"

"Your magic makes me sick."

Jareth _tch_-ed her again. "You always seemed rather entranced to me."

Sarah almost laughed at how upset he sounded. "I merely meant your method of transport makes me feel queasy."

"Maybe it's just the close contact." A hand snaked around her waist. "Feeling queasy now, my little peasant?"

"So you'd rather me be sick of you and your magic?"

His arm slithered from her waist as quickly as it arrived. He stepped back to stand regally at a respectable distance. "Perhaps," His velvet voice purred as he mockingly bowed from his waist, "you weren't focused on the right thing."

Only able to give him a quizzical glance, Sarah finally noticed her surroundings. The kitchen stared back at her. "H-how—?"

Jareth smiled, not his usual smirk or even his bemused lifting of the mouth but a gentle smile. Both his eyes addressed her warmly.

In short, his reaction terrified Sarah. She squirmed. "Your food's getting cold."


	6. Surprising Titles

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Jareth's Labyrinth nor any of his little minions. I just write for fun.

* * *

><p>Maybe she was focusing on the wrong thing? What did that even mean? What was she focusing on? More importantly, what should she be focusing on?<p>

Sarah stewed on these thoughts as she hauled a huge pot from the stove to the sink. Squeakstut, the goblin who had been _oh so_ _helpful_ until now, still hadn't returned. So here she was.

Cleaning pots.

And mulling over Jareth's thoughtlessly tossed words. She hadn't felt sick this last time traveling so had she then been properly focused?

She picked up a scrub brush and began scraping furiously against the residue already crusting on the metal monster. She'd been focusing on Jareth. Which was ridiculous. If that were the case, then did that mean Jareth wanted her to focus on him?

The crusted glob of gravy finally surrendered and slid down the pot to the bottom. _Most importantly_, Sarah wondered as she threw the brush into the pot, _why in the world did his words bother her so much?_

She stared at the pot. It stared back. Boldly. In all its massive, filthy glory. She clenched her teeth. "I wish I had a pan scraper!"

Clouds of glitter suddenly covered the room, and in the center of it all stood a rather confused King, a brown pan scraper dangling betwixt two fingers.

"I am not cleaning magic glitter up."

Jareth's eyes narrowed as he handed Sarah the piece of plastic. "Should I assume this is your doing?"

"Probably," She turned her back to him and resumed her chore, the cleaning much easier with her new tool. Jareth moved closer to watch her work.

"Wait. You've been doing all the cleaning...manually?"

Sarah snorted. "I'm not known for my magical prowess. That's your shtick."

The Goblin King opened his mouth and held his breath for a beat before releasing it in what Sarah had to describe as a _sigh_. She waited for him to say something, anything, but instead he stood almost awkwardly behind her. Watching her wash dishes.

She handed him her scrub brush. "I'll scrape the gunk out, and you wash it with soap. When you're done rinsing the dish off, just set it there on the towel that's on the counter."

He blinked, narrowed his eyes at her, but did as she requested. At first, they kept bumping into each other, trying to get to the water first, but soon they settled into a rhythm. And Sarah stopped glancing repeatedly over at him once she realized that Jareth did, in fact, know how to wash dishes. Said man still hadn't spoken so she finally asked, "How'd the kitchen get to be such a mess anyway?"

"We used it once and didn't see the need to clean it up. Nobody needs to eat like you humans do. Not even the goblins."

"So I didn't have to cook this huge meal is what you're saying?"

Jareth decided to tread carefully. Well, for him anyway. "Of course you did, slave. Just because we don't technically need it doesn't mean that we don't enjoy it."

That made her happy for some reason. Another thing to add to the ever-growing list of Things She Didn't Want to Think About.

"I think I liked your incessant rambling and impertinent questions better."

Sarah rolled her lips together before turning to face Jareth, dishes and distractions and idiotic games forgotten. "I am confused, and I am not ready to talk about it yet."

Jareth smirked. "My, my, don't you sound grown up."

"I'm serious. Because of you, I'm stuck here forever. I've got to figure out a way to be happy with that. So I need time. Away from you."

The Goblin King's eyes narrowed as he stepped back, the smirk vanishing. His voice hissed, "And why should I acquiesce to your request?"

"Because you love me, and I'm your Queen. Right?"


	7. Some Answers

**Disclaimer**: I still don't even own a copy of the movie. Shameful.

**A/N**: Since it's a day late, I'm giving you a longer chapter! Aren't I sweet? Maybe?

* * *

><p>He had graced her with a hurt look and a fortnight. She didn't know whether to feel alarmed or pleased. She did, however, know that she needed to find out more about this place. The most pressing item of which being how exactly did one become Queen of the Labyrinth. And could that title help get her out of here?<p>

Time to find a library.

No, really. She had no idea where the local Labyrinth Public Library was. Or even if such a thing existed. But she had a pretty good idea where to start her search. And, wow, but she never thought she'd ever come back here, unless Jareth banished her, of course.

The Bog of Eternal Stench.

Who even gave it that name. No mystery, no intrigue. She shook her head as she spotted the (actually kinda adorable) little hut dangerously close to the bubbling swamp. The door swung open before she had the chance to knock, and a gnarled dwarf bumbled out. Muttering and carrying an oddly shaped can.

"Stupid faeries. I didn't think I had ta take care of those darn things anymore."

"Hello, Hoggle."

The dwarf bounced back and glared up at her. "Sarah? What're you doin' here?"

She couldn't help but grin at his disgruntled face. "I could ask you the same thing. A bit smelly here. The scenery isn't all that great either."

"Hmph. Didn't ya hear?" Hoggle puffed his chest out in an exaggerated fashion. "I'm Prince of the Land of Stench. It's a very important position His Royal Majesty bestowed 'pon me."

Sarah giggled for the first time in ages. "Sounds like quite the honor. Still hafta go faery-hunting though, huh?"

The dwarf grunted again before disappearing into his cottage and appearing again with another of his spray-cans. "Join me?"

"Sure. Not that you missed me, of course."

"Pah! Certainly not," He shuffled his feet before squinting back up at her. "Why are ya here though? I mean, not here. But back in the Labyrinth?"

"Didn't ya hear?" She couldn't manage a smile, but she did get his accent down. "I lost. But I made a deal so…we both kinda lost?"

Another grunt. "Sounds like a stupid deal."

She ignored the hint with a very Jareth-like smirk. "Don't we have some faeries to take care of?"

"Fine, fine. If you ain't gonna talk to yer own friends, that's no business of mine." He hobbled his way toward the bridge. "If you still want to come, then 'urry along."

Catching up to him took three steps. "Hoggle, isn't there a faster way to the Labyrinth gates?"

"If'n there was, don't you think I'd be takin' it?"

"What if - hypothetically - there's not just a Goblin King? Would a Queen, let's say, have his powers?"

Hoggle stopped short and looked at her. "Hypothetically speaking 'course? Yer 'deal' sounds like crap."

She'd done a ton of growing up since the beginning of her adventure so she did the only thing she could think of. She stuck her tongue at him. Which he rewarded with his signature grunt.

"First off, there's no such thing as a Goblin Queen - 'fficial title is 'Queen of the Labyrinth.' She's s'posed to be pretty powerful, but, Sarah, there's only one way to gain that title."

"Oh yeah? Good thing this is a hypothetical situation."

She turned to keep walking, but the dwarf stuck his hand out, touched hers. Knowing he wasn't strong enough to physically stop her, but she stilled anyway. "What was yer deal, Sarah?"

"I traded myself for Toby. Some goblins have started calling me a queen, but, well, they're _goblins_," She felt panicked again and shook Hoggle's hand off. Her own hand suddenly stung like - "Hoggle! Did you just bite me?"

"What! No, why would I?" He glanced down and up and around. Lifted his can and spritzed the offending biter. "Maybe the goblins might be a wee bit smarter than we give 'em credit for."

"That was a faery."

"Yup."

"We're at the gate."

"So you just-?"

"Warped us here," Sarah pulled her bitten hand through her hair. "I'm the bloody Queen of the Labyrinth."

Hoggle's eyes widened comically. "You're even beginning to sound like you-know-who."

"And you're being just soooo helpful. I told you my side of things; now tell me what you know."

He snorted, a surprisingly loud sound for one so small. "I don't know much. Not fer sure anyway."

"We're friends, right?" She bent down to look him in the eyes. "Please, Hoggle."

"You're not gonna like it." He looked away. Stepped back, muttered some things. Paced back and forth. "Here's the thing, little lady. No one can just waltz in 'ere and become Queen. Jareth has to pick her." He stilled for a second, casted her an irritated look, before continuing. "And she has to accept. When she does, she must remain the Queen forever."

"So since I already have the powers, does that mean I've already accepted?"

Hoggle stopped and shrugged. Looked at her with sad, uncannily big eyes. "I would think so."

"But you don't know for sure?" Sarah glanced at her hand. Smooth and bite-free.

The dwarf shook his head. "I don't know anythin' for sure. Only Jareth does."

She huffed and rubbed absently at her hand. "Well, I can't really go ask him, can I? Even if he did provide any answers, I couldn't trust them."

Hoggle opened his mouth but closed it again. Grunting, he sprayed a faery nearby and shuffled forward to spray another one. Sarah followed him.

"What aren't you telling me?"

He said nothing, continuing to spray the beautiful (albeit annoying) creatures.

"I'll give you this bracelet, please!"

He turned to face her then. Angry. His words lashed out, "I don't wanna tell ya because I'm yer friend. I don't want yer stupid jewels neither!"

"I'm sorry. Hoggle, I'm sorry, please," She put the bracelet in her pocket. "That was stupid, I'm sorry. I know you're my friend, but I have to know. Maybe there's something I can do and maybe there's not...but I have to try."

"You may not be able to ask Jareth, but he does keep a few things - some books - that might answer some o' yer questions."

"Where does he keep them? His room?"

Hoggle shook his head. "No. The West Wing."

* * *

><p><strong>AN again**: DUN DUN DUUUUN. Okay, but wow two author's notes...what I am doing. But I just wanted to apologize for Hoggle's accent. I even watched clips of him on YouTube over and over again but it still came out just a little bit too Irish most the time. Oops?


	8. Shift in Character

Disclaimer: I own Ronald, and that's about it.

* * *

><p>Her visit with Hoggle ended up lasting about a week; she hadn't realized how much she had missed him and the others. Even if only a few days had technically passed since she'd seen them. They chatted; she helped kill faeries. It was good. Then she'd gone to seen Ludo for three days and Sir Didymus for another two, on her way back to the castle. They were all doing well, and other than crowning Hoggle Prince of the Bog, the Goblin King hadn't punished them for helping her.<p>

But with only two days left, she needed to get back to business. The West Wing. She'd been here before when she'd been looking for the kitchen her first day. Jareth hadn't been too terribly pleased then, and she couldn't help but wonder if he would buy that she had gotten lost...again. Probably not. Here's to hoping he kept his promise to leave her alone. Also unlikely. But hey, a girl can dream, right?

The ticking of that horrible cuckoo clock grew louder, and _good grief_ but the thing was as freaky as she remembered. Normally, she'd say that owls are adorable and should be used liberally in room decor. But this abomination should be bogged immediately.

But at least it marked where she needed to resume her search. The previous rooms hid no kitchen and no books that she could recall. One had been completely empty; the rest had been filled with masks and costumes and sheet-covered furniture and other oddities. The hallway stretched a few more rooms down before turning to the left where presumably more rooms awaited. Sarah huffed as she pushed open the next door. It finally gave and she almost fell to floor or rather, eyeballs. Thousands of eyeballs, still blinking and attached to eyestalks, covered the room. Glancing around for another door and seeing none, she slammed the door and moved on. She just didn't want to know at this point.

Trying the next room, she found more masks and costumes awkwardly standing in neat rows across the room. With magic, Sarah mused, who needs hangers? The remaining three rooms yielded no books either nor anything exceptionally out of the ordinary. So she turned down the next hallway. Ten rooms down this hall and another turn to the left. Maybe checking this whole place room by room wasn't the best plan. Because this was going to take for-ever. All the doors looked the same down this hall - brown wood with a brass doorknob. The next hallway offered more of the same, but this time stairs turned to left. Glancing one last time at the unchecked doors, she bit her lip but walked up to the next floor. A window - or rather a hole in the stone wall - greeted her. Enjoying the breath of fresh air, she walked past the plain doors and took the next turn upstairs.

Another window showed her how high up she was, towering over the goblins' village below. She must be on the top floor by now. Facing the hallway once more, she noticed that there were no doors this time. Her breath caught in her throat as she stepped across the stone floor, and she would be ever so grateful if it were really this easy. She turned the corner and the sight of the gilded door caused her to release her breath. Was Jareth really that stupid?

She pushed down the gold handle and swung the door open. Rugs adorned the floor; bookshelves lined the walls to the left and right. A desk near the end of the room drew the whole room together. Three large windows, with glass panes and everything, allowed so much light in, the room was downright inviting. It was beautiful. Not to mention, filled with books.

Once she double-checked that the room was, in fact, empty of any living thing (from eyeballs to Goblin Kings), she started scanning the shelves for any helpful material. Most didn't even have the title on the spine. All were hand-written, spouting interesting but unhelpful tidbits about Labyrinth history in an oddly neat scrawl. So far she found no order to the first shelf. Certainly not alphabetized by title. She couldn't find any author's name anywhere, but she didn't even know who had written about the Queen so that wouldn't have been much help anyway. The next shelf bore more interesting tidbits about chickens and goblin hygiene (small book) and proper ball procedures.

A cough interrupted her reading.

She whirled around - _just please don't be Jareth_ - and saw no one. Only the door, slightly ajar.

"Down here, Miss. Sorry to intrude."

It was a dwarf. "No worries. Who're you?"

"Many pardons," A polite dwarf, no less. That was odd. "My name is Ronald Ruel, the Dwarf of Scribe." He bowed. (He freaking _bowed_.)

"Pleased to meet you," Oh good grief, she curtsied. Hadn't she outgrown all this? "My name is Sarah."

He trilled. "Oh, goodness gracious me! I know who you are, Your Majesty." He waddled forward and gestured to the shelves. "Is there anything in particular you are looking for?"

Sarah smiled. "Why, yes. Yes, there is."

* * *

><p>Jareth sat on his throne and sulked. A dignified sulk but sulking just the same. Perhaps promising a whole fortnight had been a tad much. Surely twelve days was enough to "figure things out." He raised his head from leaning against his fist propped up on the throne's armrest. She never said he couldn't spy on her, per se. He pulled one of his crystals from thin air and spun it around, the magical item blurred to life with Sarah's image.<p>

Wait.

He held the orb in his hand. Tapped it against the smoothed stone armrest.

Surely this wasn't right.

* * *

><p>He found her curled up in Ronald's chair, reading a book. She didn't even notice the glitter he specifically dropped into her lap.<p>

"I hope I'm not disturbing you." His voice sounded a touch snider than he'd intended. But well. She'd made him leave her alone for days after days after days so she could just _read_. That was just insulting.

Sarah glanced up. "Oh, hey, Jareth." And resumed reading.

He snapped the book shut and floated it back on the shelf. "What exactly are you doing here?" He turned to the nearby dwarf. "And why didn't you inform me of her misconduct?"

Ronald Ruel raised an eyebrow. "Beg pardon, sir. I did not realize her Majesty was not allowed here."

"Well, now you know," He'd have bogged the scribe ages ago except he was the only creature around here with enough of an education to write legibly. And the dwarf knew it too. "If you'll excuse us."

The dwarf looked to Sarah, who nodded her permission (the brat! both of them!), before shuffling out of the room. He turned back to face her, repeating his query. "What are you doing here?"

"Some research," She chirped immediately, daring to smile at him too. It was distracting. "Did you know that if you allow someone who has beaten your Labyrinth to stay, she automatically becomes Queen?"

"Yes, for as long as she stays here." This was probably a Bad Thing.

"You knew that I would gain magic, but you still let me stay?"

"Yes," He wasn't sure how but definitely bad.

"So, as Queen, I should be allowed to return home," Her grin stretched wide.

Oh, this he could deal with. Never mind. "Er, no," His pointed teeth showed slightly behind his smirk. "Not unless you want me to retrieve Toby."

She pouted at him. "No, I don't want that. But I do have some power as Queen, don't I?"

"More than I anticipated," He admitted, purposefully leaning over her. "But I'm still stronger, of course."

"But surely you'd agree that a Queen cannot be a slave?"

That snapped him backwards. Upright. Proper. "So. You want to shirk your duties?"

"Not at all! Especially now that I have help," She waved her hand over the floor, and his glitter melted into nothing. "But I would quite prefer a partnership over servitude. Especially considering my stay is, so far, a permanent one."

"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense," He titled his head to the right. "You still have to cook though."

She smiled up at him again. Knowing what he was doing. "That sounds reasonable." And letting him get away with it.

He wasn't used to this. He offered his arm. "Shall we then?"

She took his arm and nodded, grinning impishly as she transported them out first.

* * *

><p>He returned that evening after Sarah retired to bed. Opening the door, he removed the glamour of an empty room, revealing a cozy bedroom. A short table with blocks. A tiny bookshelf filled with board books. And the crib, with a baby boy softly cooing himself to sleep inside.<p>

His secret was safe.


	9. Softening (the) Blow

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I hope you were all sitting down.

* * *

><p>"Today can be your day off."<p>

"What?"

"You know, a rest. Vacation," She didn't know how but his accent began to sound more like hers when she imitated him. "A holiday, that sort of thing."

"Really?"

Jareth narrowed his eyes at her. "I wouldn't have suggested such a thing if I didn't mean it. Only one _holiday_ per week though."

She grinned. "Sounds great to me! I'll do the cooking and cleaning, but the goblins must help clean afterwords. I can also help Ronald Ruel with his histories. My cursive is very neat." Her voice wheedled (hopefully adorable in its lack of subtlety).

"It's your day off. Go. Have fun. Or do you need me to define that for you, as well?"

Rude. But she supposed she could just convince him later. "Alright, fine. I know when I'm not wanted."

And out of the castle she flew. Going to see her friends again would probably be overstaying her welcome. Y'know, considering she'd just spent the last two weeks visiting them. There wasn't really a lot to do in the Labyrinth.

Or was there? Now that she thought about it, she'd only had thirteen hours to explore the place. (And since Jareth was such a cheater, even less than that.) This kingdom definitely required further inspection. She supposed the Goblin Village would be as good a place as any to start with. Chickens clucked by and stirred up the dust. Most of the goblins themselves seemed to be either inside their little huts or elsewhere in the Labyrinth. Well, this was exciting.

That was sarcasm. This place was dull. Brown as far as the eye could see and awful on the sinuses. How could these poor creatures stand it? No wonder they weren't here. A door opened and a goblin hobbled out. Saw her. Aaaand scurried back indoors, slamming the door behind it (_her_?). Ooor maybe they were all hiding from her. Either way, now was as good a time as any to spruce the place up. She closed her eyes and _wished_ and - a hoe appeared in her right hand, a packet of some kind of seed poofed in her left, and a trowel almost landed on her foot with another twenty or so packets of seeds falling down from nowhere. She'd work on that.

But where was the shovel?

"Look out!" She heard the shout before she was shoved into the ground. The aforementioned gardening tool clattered to the ground beside her. Her rescuer climbed off her and offered her a hand up.

Which amused her since he appeared to be a goblin and at least half her size. Not wanting to offend, she accepted his hand up and even made it seem like he helped her up.

He grinned proudly. "Almost got yourself squashed there."

"Well, aren't you a smart, little goblin. Thank you!" Sarah beamed back. "Would you like to help me?"

"Help you...what exactly?" His grin turned bemused. A clever goblin, indeed.

She closed her eyes again. Another shovel appeared, this time very clearly a kids' toy straight from a Fisher-Price magazine. Nibbling at her lip, Sarah twanged her thumb against the blade. "Hmm, sturdier than you'd expect. Seems like it's still made of metal."

"It's pink."

"So it is. Which no one will notice if you get busy tilling the soil. Let's just work with this patch of dirt here," She picked up what she could and walked toward the center of the village. "Maybe when everyone sees what we're up to, they'll want to help too. Bogger knows, this place needs all the color it can get."

The goblin finally followed, bringing along his favorite shovel _ever_ and the rest of the seed packets. Grumbling like a dwarf the whole way, of course. "Still don't see why."

"Because color makes everything look better," She wrinkled her nose at the barren ground and the rackety huts. "Even places like this."

"If you say so," He grunted. She picked up her shovel and began digging into the hard-as-bedrock ground. He mimicked her. "This is going to take forever. Why don't you use magic?"

"Because I like gardening."

"Really?"

She huffed. "Well, I guess I've never technically tried it, but I think I will."

"But you're not now?" He squinted at her. Teasing.

"With such pleasant company, how could I not?"

He blinked before responding shortly. "You're joking."

"Only slightly," She peeked at him before looking back down at the ground. Which was finally starting to give a little, revealing surprisingly dark, moist dirt below. "I don't believe I've met you yet. My name's Sarah."

The sound of his shovel clanking against a rock was his only reply. He grunted before hedging over and peering down. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

"It's a rock."

"I know _that_. What do I _do_ with it?"

Sarah rolled her lips together in an effort to keep from groaning. Or laughing. "You pick it up and make a rock pile."

"With my bare hands?"

The Queen of the Labyrinth blinked, and said hands were covered with gloves. Matching in color to his shovel, of course. He seemed less than impressed but burrowed the rock out and dumped it a few feet away.

"The name's Keefe," He whispered as he began shoveling again. "It means 'gentle.'"

"Oh," Sarah stopped to study him. "It's a lovely name."

He snorted. "It's a horrid name. And you have to admit it doesn't match my personality at all."

"I don't know. You _did_ rescue me."

"By shoving you into the ground."

"Better than getting banged over the head with a shovel."

He grunted as he moved on to another patch of ground, "I suppose."

"I _know_," She picked up the hoe and started straightening the loose dirt into straight rows while he finished tilling the rest. They worked well together and made much more progress than she'd anticipated. Pretty soon they could actually plant the seeds, which she was pretty sure was the fun part of gardening. So far, all she'd gotten out of this were sore muscles and sweat.

"What kind of plants are you wanting to grow anyway?" Not to mention, the lovely conversations with her charming friend here, of course.

She shrugged. "I'm not really sure, actually. I just wanted some colorful flowers."

"Not much for planning things out, are you?"

"I like surprises." Some anyway.

He muttered something under his breath as he leaned against his shovel, admiring his handiwork. His chest puffed slightly as he straightened again. "Still don't see why you didn't just use your magic; I would have."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"If I had magic, anyway."

"Well, maybe that's why you don't have it; you'd abuse it," Picking up the packets of seeds, she shuffled through them to see if there was any labels. Which there were, by color. Her magic was a Very Odd Thing, and she really needed to learn how to use it. Ronald Ruel surely wouldn't mind another impromptu visit.

Keefe glided over, oddly graceful, and plucked two packets from her hand. "Shall we finish this?"

"I suppose so."

And so they did. No instructions came with the packets so Sarah went from memory on how one plants things. Which she was sure was totally wrong, but maybe things worked differently enough in the Labyrinth that it would work anyway. So she made little dents in the ground, and Keefe dropped three or four seeds in before she covered them up.

"This _is_ strangely entertaining." The goblin finally admitted on their last row.

Sarah smiled up at him. "It's relaxing, isn't it? Gives you time to think."

He winced at that. Glanced back at the dirt. "Less entertaining now."

"Just can't admit to having fun, can you?"

"With you? Not likely."

She covered the last seeds and sent the rest of her tools back to the castle. Hopefully in that empty closet next to the front gate. Standing up and stretching to get the kinks of gardening out, she finally titled her head at him. "Oh, hush, I know you love me."

He snorted at her, and she just laughed.

"I gotta go back; I think I'm gonna make dinner so a certain, grumpy King we both know quite well will keep his promise about this whole holiday thing."

He blinked at her.

Fine, if he wasn't going to say anything. She kissed him on the forehead. "Bye, Jareth. This was fun."

The glitter blinded her for a second, but she finally managed to open her eyes again to see Jareth's true from before her. He looked testy. "When did you find out?"

"It was a fantastic disguise, really," Sarah bit her lip, failing as ever to hide her smile. "But you really need to work on masking that accent of yours. Also, goblins don't glide, they hobble. And they're not nearly so brave. It was fun though, really."

His eyes narrowed. "You don't have to lie; it was just a guise. It meant nothing."

"No. No, it didn't," She swallowed before continuing. This was new; they were admitting things. _He_ had admitted things, and she hadn't wanted this. But now... "You showed me more of yourself than you meant to."

"Oh, yes? Like what, Precious?" The sarcasm again. That meant she was getting too close.

She took the plunge. "You feel guilty because of your actions, and you want to make it better, but you don't know how. I'm the same way, Jareth. I wished for my own brother to be taken away by some goblins. I may not have _known_ it would happen, but I still _believed_. Then, I blamed you for it even when you had no choice but to do what I asked, and that wasn't fair." If she started crying now, she would...do something. Take it out on innocent goblins, probably. "I may not be some innocent beauty, but you're no beast either. You're gentler than you give yourself credit for you."

He didn't blink or make any sign of acknowledgment. Not even a slap to the face. She bared her soul, and his, but nothing. He finally stepped away from her. His tone cut her worse than his striking her ever could. "You know nothing. I don't know why you even try anymore."

His words were cold and calculated, and she hated him for it. He disappeared in glitter-less smoke, and Sarah knelt to the ground. He hadn't been ready, and he had snapped. That was all. She started rocking back and forth.

_That was all. _And the tears flowed.

* * *

><p>He sat upon his throne, and it mocked him. Some King he was. His Queen hated him. And the worst part was that this time he had intended her to. It made things easier.<p>

After all, he more than anyone should know that no one could ever trick Sarah.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: So I looked up Jareth's name, and it either could mean "old" or "gentle." So I went with the latter because wow. Also, feel free to _really _hate me now. (But thank you guys so much for the reviews and the faves and the follows. It means a lot.)


	10. Sickening Reveal

**Disclaimer**: If owned the Labyrinth, I would not be sitting around here and writing. Letmetellya.

Yes, Jareth is an idiot. BUT I DECIDED TO GIVE YOU THIS (ALBEIT SHORT) UPDATE EARLY TO MAKE UP FOR IT.

* * *

><p>A loud banging woke her up, and her stomach clenched so hard, she wondered if that was the real secret to six-pack abs. Sitting half-way up on the bed, she rubbed her eyes, feeling exhausted and disconcerted. How had she even gotten back to room?<p>

The door swung open, and a gaggle of goblins spilled into the room. "King want you!"

"Yeah!"

"West Wing!"

"He said so!"

"Meet you there!"

"We tell you!"

They hopped on her a few times until she actually got off the bed. Then they scurried off as quickly as they appeared. Not even waiting to escort her or anything. Jareth probably didn't want an audience, not that she blamed him. And she wasn't scared.

Not really. But...the West Wing, huh?

This was gonna suck.

He stood with his back facing her, waiting for her at the hall entrance. Tense, alert. The cold aloofness he projected yesterday was slipping, and she was surprised by how much that concerned her. Isn't this what she wanted? No more games. Just honesty.

But this scared her. He heard her behind him but didn't turn around. Instead, he led her to the empty bedroom. Opening the door, he finally turned to face her. Motioned impatiently for her to come in. Forgive her for not reading his mind.

"Jareth, what's going on?"

He tilted his head. Those ethereal eyes swirled with hurt and his already pallid face had paled significantly. "You are going to hate me." His voice remained as controlled as always.

And suddenly the room wasn't empty anymore, and a baby's cry captured Sarah's attention. As if in a trance, she walked toward the crib and peeked over the side at her baby step-brother. She leaned over and lifted him carefully from his prison, holding him against her shoulder and patting him gently on the back. His sobs turned into his sniffles, and he soon quieted altogether.

"I've missed you, you little brat," She whispered into his ear before settling him back on the mattress. Twisting back around, Sarah opened her mouth but shut it again. Her breath came in short gasps, and no book had prepared her for this.

He remained standing near the door. Wanting to escape? His voice cut through her shock. "I didn't have a choice, Sarah."

"I know," His brow wrinkled slightly at her confession. "I mean, I _guessed_. I didn't just research the Queen of the Labyrinth."

"I'm going to bog that stupid dwarf," The Goblin King's color slowly returned, and annoyance infused his tone. "He never should have shown you those stupid books."

Sarah shook her head. "Jareth, you _lied_ to me, and Ronald Ruel had every right to set me straight."

"But you just said you already knew. Why are you so upset?"

"I knew you had to keep the baby, and I knew you had to get so many that you turn them into goblins," She looked directly into his eyes. "But I had hoped it meant you found a loophole. Instead...you were just going to hide him and let me stay here forever. Thinking that I had _saved_ him."

She had felt so calm and in control up 'til now. But if he wasn't even going to apologize-

"I was wrong. I'm the villain here, remember?"

Close enough, she supposed. "Don't be melodramatic."

"I tried to send him back, but I couldn't," His voice remained carefully neutral, but she knew what he was doing. He was justifying. As overjoyed as she was about his feeling guilty about his part in this, she knew what she had to do. And how much it would hurt him.

"Jareth, I'm leaving. Our deal is void since you didn't fulfill your part of the bargain," She turned to leave.

He stood in front of her. Magically. "And I didn't turn him into a goblin."

"Promise me you won't," She crossed her arms. "I'll also be taking quite a few books from the library. There must be some way to return Toby, and I will find it."

Jareth crossed his own arms. "Why?"

"Because I made a mistake, and I have to fix it!"

"No, no, no," The Goblin King replied testily. "Why should I promise?"

She rose on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. "Because you made a mistake, and you have to fix it."

Then, Sarah walked past him. Stopping only to say "Take care of Toby for me" before vanishing into thin air.

He clenched his jaw. Looked back at the boy. Relaxed. "I promise."


	11. Strange Changes

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. I just like to play with the characters for a wee bit.

Guys, we're getting close to the end. ISN'T THIS EXCITING

* * *

><p>"Sarah? Sarah, darling, are you awake?"<p>

She didn't want to open her eyes. This was the second time that day she'd been woken up, and she was really tired of this disconcerted feeling of _how in the world did she get here._

And that's when she realized.

She was home.

"Dad? Irene?" She rose from the bed - her bed - and raced downstairs to greet her parents. Just coming in from a fun night out. She tackled her dad first. Then stopped a beat. Before finally hugging Irene too. "I'm so glad to see you both. Did you have a fun time? Tell me all about it."

"Well, yes, dear, it was lovely," Irene answered first, looking only slightly surprised. "We went out to this charming restaurant before heading to the theater. I had a salad, of course, but Robert said the steak was good. Though why he still eats red meat, I don't know. Then, the movie. Oh! The movie..." She rattled on, apparently thrilled to have a chance to brag about their marvelous evening out.

And Sarah listened. Even though she had absolutely no interest in the movie or the random details Irene deemed worthy to mention. Her father disappeared into the bedroom to change while she and Irene settled in the family room on one of the couches. When Robert finally emerged, hesitantly mentioning the time (what, like one in the morning is really _that_ late?), Irene chimed in agreement and shooed Sarah off to bed.

Apparently she needed her beauty sleep. Whatever. She had enough time to catch up with them tomorrow. As she trudged up the stairs to her room, the bedroom next to hers caught her off guard. I mean, it made sense. Toby wasn't here; Jareth had been able to drop her off right when she left. Of course, it wouldn't be Toby's room.

Oddly enough, though, it looked like a playroom. Now, apart from a case of her stuffed animals hung up in the center, bookshelves lined the walls. A few toys were scattered across the floor. Some she recognized, but most she just remembered wanting them so badly but Irene (and her father, of course, because they were one and made decisions together, of _course_) had refused to buy them. She shut the door and hesitated only slightly before going into her own room.

She did not like being an only child.

* * *

><p>So now he was stuck with the brat and no Sarah. He couldn't even turn the boy into a goblin, and Toby did not seem to know how to get through the day without crying or screeching or...pooping. He didn't know any magic for potty training children, but he supposed learning such information was worth the risk of running into that annoying dwarf.<p>

Poofing in, he happily discovered that said scribe must be taking a break. Using a finding spell, he located the book he needed (entitled C_hildren's Behaviors and the Magicks Needed to Circumvent Them_; the dwarf loved his freakishly long titles) and poofed back out before Ronald Ruel (even his name was pretentious) returned.

* * *

><p>Sarah, the Queen of the Labyrinth, laid on her bed and moped. She'd forgotten about school. It sucked, but in a different way. Her friends seemed almost superficial, and she struggled to find something of interest to talk about. Which ticked her off because it was yet another thing that had changed.<p>

Or rather, a new difference she noticed since _she_ had changed.

And it felt odd being here. Felt pointless learning about things that no longer mattered to her. Plus, she'd far rather be planting flowers in the Labyrinth or finding out more about her own abilities. But instead she was studying algebra and failing chemistry. Not to mention excluding herself from her friends.

Home sucked less. It was so weird without Toby. She missed having to stay home to take care of him, and she hated that no one remembered, but all that would change once she found out to right her wrong.

Which meant more studying. She flopped backwards on her bed for a beat. Acting like she had time to daydream.

Then she got up, switched on her lamp, and took out the next volume of Ronald Ruel's carefully scripted _Rules of the Goblin King: A Brief Summary Section II._

* * *

><p>The magic wasn't working. He didn't know if his abilities had gotten weaker or if Toby was somehow immune.<p>

Neither conclusion was very encouraging.

Which, understandably so, irked him further. So he supposed it was time to visit the library again.

The dwarf was there this time. Sitting in his chair. Smug.

"What did you do?" The King took no time for niceties. He lifted the book with one gloved finger. "Did you forge this, Reginald?"

"That wasn't even close to my name, sire," The dwarf bowed in greeting, ever polite. "And I would never _intentionally_ forge a book. I am offended."

The little twerp did look a tad upset but what else... "Then what am I doing wrong? Toby is definitely _not_ potty-trained."

"Admitting you're wrong? My, my, Sarah's had quite an influence on you-"

Jareth growled impatiently. A warning.

The dwarf made a valiant effort to hid his smirk. "Flip to that last page, will you?" The King did so. "Oh, dear, see? That's the problem with magic. As you can see here, there's this disclaimer at the bottom of the page. 'As the previously mentioned magicks are supposed to be worked on human babies, a final reminder: human children are especially unpredictable; these spells may not be effective.' Isn't that unfortunate?"

One of these days, Jareth was going to bog this useless scribe. "Why didn't you put that on the _first _page of the 5,492nd-page volume?"

* * *

><p>It had been a month, and she'd only read through about half the books she'd brought with her. A whole month wasted. No Toby. No Jareth.<p>

She chatted with Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus twice via her mirror, but she felt guilty enough wasting time at school. Free time was a joke; her mother (Irene made such a big deal the other day, and Sarah found she didn't mind anymore. Even though she would always remember her first mom.) worried that she was working too much on school. Which would be problematic when her parents received her report card in a few weeks.

She'd talk her way out of that one when she came to it. Hopefully.

Hopefully, she wouldn't still be here anymore. Hopefully, she could find a way to get Toby back. She finished scanning the rest of the tome on her desk before slamming it in frustration. Dust puffed out, and a few books tipped over on the bookshelf nailed into the wall above her desk. Coughing slightly, she stood up to straighten her shelf. And that's when she spotted it.

A tiny, red novel. Perhaps this time...she could _finally _remember the words.


	12. Saving Toby

**Disclaimer:** After all this time, you'd think I'd own something.

**A/N:** You readers are amazing; I am seriously overjoyed that you all like this story so much. Thank you. (Also I should be posting the last chapter Friday or so.)

* * *

><p><em>"For my will is as strong as yours."<em>

Jareth had looked so astounded and so pleased when she suddenly appeared before his throne. Her magic hadn't worked, as the books had stated it wouldn't, once she left the Labyrinth. But the second she wished to be back, well, here she was. And she had a job to do.

She didn't want to say the words, and he didn't want to hear them; but they both needed to remember them.

Toby fussed in Jareth's arms, and Sarah smiled before beginning.

_"And my kingdom is as great."_

His joy at her sudden return lasted for less than a second. He recognized the words before they even left her lips, and he almost dropped her nitwit of a brother. Instead, he stood from his throne and glided over to her. His anger evident and his eyes numb with her betrayal. She showed no fear. No regret.

And he knew she would finish what she started.

_"You have no power over me."_

And then she surprised him. Yet again.

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. Softly and slowly. And it was oh so pleasant.

That was when he finally figured it out. Or at least he hoped he had. Sarah held out her arms, and Jareth gently handed Toby over.

He finally smiled in return. "You don't want me to be the villain anymore."

She shook her head. "No. And you don't need to fulfill my every desire. You never did."

"Even though I love you?"

"Especially because you love me," She tried to hide her blush by burying her face in Toby's stomach. "We are equals, and we should have equal power. No fear, no games, no lies."

Jareth narrowed his eyes. Afraid to ask. "Does this mean you're staying?"

"No, I can't," His Queen jiggled her brother slightly. "My family needs me first. But I will come back."

"I'll believe it when you do," A frown replaced his odd spurt of optimism. They'd both promised more than they could offer and made bargains they didn't want to keep. As the Fey King of the Labyrinth, he knew how traitorous humans are. How their real lives always sucked them back in. No human ever remembered him once they went back, and without her brother anchoring her here, Sarah would forget him too.

"I promise, Jareth."

Then, gone.

* * *

><p>They returned the exact moment Sarah had wished Toby away. She laughed and cried and laughed again when Toby fussed in her arms.<p>

"Little stinker, you have no idea what we both just went through," She kissed him on the head and placed him in his crib. "Hold on one sec; I'll be right back. I promise."

She sure was making a lot of promises lately. At least this was an easy one. She returned to Toby's room with her case of stuffed animals. Pulling her two favorites out, she settled them in the crib next to Toby. Who cooed and proceeded to grab one by the ear and chew on its left paw.

Sarah just shook her head and grinned. "Well, at least you're putting the poor bunny to good use."

Now that Toby was content (and more importantly, _quiet_), she could focus on her surprises for Jareth.

Hopefully, it would make the years go by faster for them both.

And that was when she noticed the smell.

"Jareth probably doesn't even know how to change a diaper, huh?"


	13. Jareth's Surprise

**Disclaimer:** Oh, wait. I do own Ronald. So, ha.

**A/N:** Whelp, this is it, guys! Thanks for reading this aaaall the way through, and hope you all enjoy the grand finale.

* * *

><p><strong>i.<strong>

His first surprise came in the odd form of Hoggle. A fortnight after Sarah left, the dwarf hobbled into his throne room. Bog stench emanated from him in suffocating waves, and Jareth was about to send him away when the stinky thing opened his mouth.

"I don't want ta be here anymore than you want me here," Hoggle shuffled his feet and rolled his eyes. "But I 'ave a request from Sarah."

Jareth stood from his throne. "Well?" His left foot tapped impatiently.

"I don't want ta show you this."

"Show me _what_?" He was purposefully not getting to the point, and the entire throne room now stunk. Poetic justice, the King supposed.

The dwarf made an awful attempt at hiding his grin. "Somethin' special."

Jareth sent some magic down his arm and into his hand and waved the smell away. He refrained from gritting his teeth. "And where is this special item located?"

Hoggle grunted, quite unimpressed with his King's trick, but at least this hurried things along. Somewhat. "Come wit' me."

The stubby creature got one last laugh in by refusing to tell Jareth where they where headed, forcing them to walk. More time wasted. Were all his subjects such brats?

"'S'right here," Sarah's pestilent friend brought him to a mirror.

The ordinary-looking glass revealed his stunning image, of course, but nothing else. "Listen, Hogwart, I am not in the mood for you to waste my precious time."

"Now just 'old on one second, Your Royal Highness. Look again. Really look."

The King smirked but _really_ looked this time (whatever that meant), and something finally stirred in the reflection.

_Sarah_. "Hello, Jareth."

His smirk stretched into a brief smile. Sarah grinned back, and Hoggle pretended not to notice before shuffling from the room.

**ii.**

His second surprise came in the form of a letter. He found it on the desk in his bedchamber, and he still had no clue how Sarah had delivered it. Or how long it had been there.

He never used this desk. Why would he use a desk? That's what _magic_ was for.

And honestly, a letter? What an archaic way to communicate. Why hadn't she just sent Hoggle so they could talk through the mirror? After knowing he could actually see her and hear her own voice, a letter felt a tad belittling to him.

Then it struck him. Like a barrel of goblins.

She wasn't coming back, and she was too afraid to tell him to his face. The coward.

He picked up the letter with two gloved fingers and snapped it into flame. He didn't need her. And he would continue to remind himself of this until he believed it.

**iii.**

His third surprise arrived on Sarah's birthday. He was sitting on his throne. Accomplishing some of his kingly duties, namely sulking. His goblins had tried singing some stupid song they'd made up in a vain attempt to cheer him up. Until he bogged a gaggle of them; the rest disappeared almost as quickly as those magically vanquished. So now it was just him. In his throne room. Was there ever a better time to sulk.

"You didn't read the letter, did you?"

Jareth blinked at the woman before him. Her sudden presence flummoxed him, and she looked older. But still his Sarah. And she was here, in his throne room. In the Underground.

"Of course, you didn't. You don't even use that desk, do you?"

This time he heard what she said and drew some quick conclusions. "Oh, I burned it."

"You burned your desk?"

"No, the letter." Was she being intentionally difficult?

"Why?"

"I didn't want it to exist," He shrugged and looked up at the ceiling. "So I burned it."

To his surprise, she laughed. Not a cute giggle one would expect to come from such a petite thing, but a full-on, stomach-toning laugh. He was growing testier by the second, and the sound grated on his ears. Her words did nothing to ease his temperament. "Since you obviously didn't read it, what _on earth_ did you think it said?"

"Why are you here?" He looked at her again. This time making eye contact.

Her green eyes glistened. "I'm back." This time she shrugged, and the odd gesture caught his attention. Not quite defensive. But hurt. Definitely hurt.

This was the letter's fault.

And maybe, slightly his own ego's fault. He probably should've read it before burning the thing, and he would rather keep his initial interpretation of the letter. a secret

Because he had obviously been wrong; after all, here she was. Uncomfortable in her own castle. He had been the coward, not her. "I thought it said you weren't coming back." He hadn't meant to just blurt it out. How undignified.

But it was worth it. Her stance immediately relaxed. "You're an idiot."

She smiled as she spoke, though, and walked forward. Pushed him into a sitting position and settled next to him. The Goblin King blinked down at her. An odd panic rose in him as he realized that even after all their mirror chats (which abruptly stopped after the letter incident), he was still woefully unprepared for this. Courting. Love. It had been a game before, something to pass the time, but now it _mattered_. And he didn't want to be the one who messed it up.

She grinned impishly up at him, "So. Wanna hear what it really said?"

"Why not?" Jareth decided to do what he did best - fake it. Pretend this was normal and just go from there. He rested a tentative cheek on Sarah's dark-haired head. "We've got time."

"Plenty of it," His Queen replied primly. "But we've also got a lot to do. First off, the babies, Jareth. I know you have to take them, but perhaps—"

He smiled into her hair. He and his poor Labyrinth had no idea what Sarah had in store for them.

But he was terribly excited to find out.


End file.
